This is how
by wyoluvr
Summary: Ben's not so sure that Michael's a good bet.


  
TITLE: This is how  
AUTHOR: Criss Moody  
RATING: PG-13  
PAIRING (if any): Ben/Michael and Brian/Justin  
VERSION : US  
SPOILERS : Spoilers for season 2 eps through 209.  
SUMMARY: Ben's not so sure that Michael's a good bet.  
WEBSITE: http://www.ficbitch.com/hpf  
DISCLAIMER: Lots of other people own the pretty gay boys.   
Sad Criss.  
FEEDBACK: Yeah, that would be luverly.  
ARCHIVE: List archives, yes. Others, please ask first.  
Notes: Unbetaed. Zahra said it was good. Thus, it is her  
fault.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
He'd love to believe in Michael. Let problems fade into  
kisses and forget that this isn't happy ever after. This  
isn't going to be forever. Forever's a fucking joke, a  
construct meant to comfort idiots who still think that God  
loves them and that America is a great country.   
  
Ben wasn't always so cynical. He never was in speech. But  
inside, in where no one but his inner five year old was  
still unhappy about not getting a ice cream cone when his  
cousin did, well, inside Ben cursed God. He cursed Jamie,  
who honestly hadn't known he was positive. He cursed the  
doctor for telling him that he'd have a good life, with  
lots of drugs and safe sex. And he cursed himself for  
mouthing off about living in the now to a ridiculously  
impressionable adult man who listened to his friends more  
than he listens to himself.   
  
He took a drink of his beer and looked around for Michael.  
His boyfriend, if he could call him that, was supposed to  
be here by now. Give him another 10 minutes, if he didn't  
show, Ben wasn't above taking to the dance floor alone. He  
and Michael haven't even talked about their favorite colors  
let alone about exclusivity. So "boyfriend" was probably an  
inappropriate term.   
  
"Hey, where's the boyfriend?"   
  
Two of Michael's friends, the kid and the smarmy looking  
one, idled up next to Ben with beers of their own.   
  
"Who says he's my boyfriend?" Ben watched the kid's  
eyebrows raise. The blonde head turned toward his companion  
as if, Brian maybe?, was omniscient.   
  
"Not me. Of course, if you're just fucking him, you might  
wanna tell him that. Don't want poor Mikey to get his heart  
all broken. Again."   
  
The younger boy turned back to Ben, rolled his eyes at what  
Brian had said, and twisted away from him. Soon he was lost  
in the swell of bodies gyrating to the music.   
  
"Raiding the cradle?"   
  
Brian flashed Ben a tight grin. Not the sly spread of teeth  
Ben had seen before, but something that spoke of pain.  
Good. He wasn't so sure he appreciated Brian's comments.   
  
"Better than fucking the emotionally immature."   
  
"Isn't he your best friend or something? Not a nice thing  
to say about your best friend." Ben turned toward the bar  
and watched Brian's face in the glittering bar mirror.  
Alternatively green, blue, and red from flashing lights,  
the other man's face was devoid of reaction.   
  
"Maybe. But I won't be the one to help him grow up. And  
trust me, it's about time that he grew up."   
  
The song playing ended and the sweaty young blonde bounced  
up to Brian, placing hard kiss on his lips before grabbing  
his hands to drag him back out. Brian let it happen, but  
not before he nodded towards the entrance to the club where  
Mikey had just come in with more friends.  
  
"He'll always be Mikey to me. But he's Michael to you,  
right?" With the cryptic comment of the evening award  
firmly in hand, Brian joined his lover on the dance floor.   
Ben grabbed a handful of salty peanuts and watched Michael  
approach.  
  
Too soon, Michael slipped into Ben's personal space for a  
kiss. Ben looked down at Michael, studying the other man's  
eyes. Innocent puppy dog eyes, ooh, please don't kick me.   
It wasn't really too late to stop this.   
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Hey."  
  
Michael lost a little bit of his shiny grin when Ben merely  
repeated him. The little furrow between his eyes, the  
'frustrated/hurt/confused' furrow, appeared.  
  
"What is it? Is something wrong? Did Brian say something  
to you?"  
  
Ben considered say, yeah, he did. He thinks you're an  
idiot. He also apparently doesn't disapprove of us, a  
marked change from the rest of your friends and family  
whose opinions vary from disinterested to negative. He  
calls you Mikey because he has next to no belief in your  
maturity.   
  
"Not much. Just said..." And Ben decided to do something  
nicer than probably Michael or Brian deserved. Because  
nobody needed to get hurt. Nobody needed to ache over  
airing some dirty laundry.  
  
"You might be my Michael but you'd always be his Mikey.   
Then he took the blonde off to dance." Ben affected the  
best injured lover look he could manage.   
  
Michael took Ben's hands in his and pressed a kiss to the  
knuckles.  
  
"I like being *your* Michael. Thank you."  
  
Emphasis on the word 'your' and Ben didn't have a lot of  
time to process that before Michael leaned up to softly  
press his lips to Ben's. Ben nibbled on Michael's lower  
lip until he felt it warm and well under his touch. Sucked  
the plump flesh into his mouth and heard Michael sigh  
happily.   
  
Say one thing about this guy, he was habit forming. Ben  
already liked the way he kissed, the way he pressed himself  
into Ben like Ben was the safety blankets to end all safety  
blankets, and way he courted a man. Terrible singer.  
  
Ben swayed with Michael next to the bar, exchanging kisses  
until he heard the song change to a slower tune. They  
drifted to the center of the floor and ended up next to  
Brian and the kid who danced cheek to cheek facing the same  
direction.   
  
Their eyes drifted open at the same time to see Ben and  
Michael in an almost matching position. Michael looked for  
a brief moment at Brian before smiling against Ben's chest  
and closing his eyes. Brian met Ben's gaze and let his  
eyebrows raise a fraction.   
  
Ben supposed that counted as a 'seal of approval' and let  
it go.  
  
  
~the end~  
  
===== 


End file.
